Chapter 9: Inner Power Pt. 3
Tenebris and Frankie looked into each others' eyes. Both of them deadly daggers as they circled each other like wolves about to devour each other. Frankie, much to the dragon's surprise, was still smiling, this time with a shark-like grin. The dragon couldn't help but return it in kind. "I will admit that I'm impressed," he said, "Out of the many people I've fought who've claimed to have been warriors, few if any were able to injure me like you have!" "Guess I've gotta thank you," Frankie replied, his grin never leaving his face, "thanks to you, I might actually have more fun than I've ever had in years." "Yesss," Tenebris hissed, his eyes radiating bloodlust and primal hunger, "embrace battle! The blood, the carnage, the death and pain! Forget about everything and just lose yourself to the battle!!" "Sounds good to me!" Frankie laughed. He channeled golden energy into Fumetsu and pointed it at the dragon. With a loud yell, he shot the blast forward in a powerful energy beam. Tenebris channeled a purple orb with black sparks from his four horns and shot a massive orb of dark power to counter the beam. The two clashing forces created another bright shockwave that could be seen for miles around. The two opposing forces trying and straining to gain the upper hand, neither one giving an inch. Frankie, not desiring to be in a stalemate, channeled more energy and sent it forward, pushing back Tenebris' attack slowly but surely. It wasn't long before Tenebris' eyes widened with shock as his own attack was consumed in an aura of golden and orange, crashing into him as it did so. The dragon fell back into the earth, destroying more and more of the land and falling deeper into the ground. While the dragon appeared confused, even a small hint of fear crossing his features, in the back of the dragon's mind however, he was excited as hell. How long had it been since he had felt this elation? This joy for combat? He had been without challenge for so long that he couldn't even remember. Deep down, he silently thanked this boy for breathing life back into the warrior within him. Frankie, up above, was contemplating his next move, for he knew the dragon wouldn't just go down from that, and he was running out of steam. Fumetsu, can you hear me? "Of course, what do you need?" I need your help, Frankie said, I have an idea that I'd like to try, if you're willing. "My friend. If it helps in this fight then you have my full support!" That's all I needed to here, Frankie replied with a warm smile, I'm giving everything I've got to you Fumetsu. Do with me what you will, and in exchange, lend me the strength I need to put this guy down for the count! Frankie's Zanpakuto couldn't help but smile with pride. He had just established a connection with him and already put complete trust in him. There was little doubt in his mind now as he uttered only one word in reply. "Yes." Tenebris emerged from the rubble looking rather worse for wear. The gash was still there across his chest, only know two of his four horns had broken off and he had several cuts and bruises against his scales that bled out profusely. Then the dragon began to chuckle in a low tone, his laughter growing louder and louder until he laughed so hard people might label him as psychopath due to how insane he looked. "Thank you boy!! You've made me feel so alive today!!! Thanks to you, I can safely say that I can leave this life with no regrets!!" "Huh? Throwing in the towel already, but I thought we were having fun," Frankie said in a mock pout. "Oh I'm not going down yet," Tenebris said with a cackle, "I'm going to finish this fight here and now with every last ounce of strength I have left!! Prepare yourself!!" In the blink of an eye, a large pillar of bright purple energy surrounded Tenebris and shot towards the heavens, black sparks surrounding him and tearing the clouds asunder. Frankie responded in kind, with the aid of his Zanpakuto, he shot an orange and gold pillar to the sky. Soon his energy shifted and changed until its shape resembled that of a dragon, resembling that of the creature from his dreams. Tenebris found the irony in it all as he looked and physically saw a mere mortal, yet the power behind it was that of one of the mightiest creatures of the known universe. Oh such sweet irony. With a loud warrior cry, both combatants charged forward until they finally clashed, creating a massive wave of energy which could be seen for miles. Katara saw the blast and felt worry slam into her heart like a ton of bricks. Until she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned and saw Sokka with a look of reassurance on his face. "Don't worry," he said, "he's gonna be fine." "I wouldn't be too sure," Azula said with an evil smirk, "Dragons are said to be one of the most powerful creatures in the world. Only a true warrior could have any hope of besting one in battle. Your friend is as good as dead." "Azula!" Ty Lee shouted, "He's my friend too!!" "I wouldn't shed a tear for the dead Ty Lee," Azula replied, her smug expression and tone unchanging, "It matters little how much power he has, he's--!" Before Azula could utter another word, Guts landed a chop to the base of her neck, knocking her out cold. "Stupid bitch," he muttered, "as if you would know what a true warrior is." "Umm...thanks?" Ty Lee said with uncertainty. She shivered slightly when Guts looked back at her with his single good eye, his gaze was like steel and also hinted at an inner darkness of some kind. Not wanting to say anything that could jeopardize her chances of survival, the circus girl remained silent. The others couldn't entirely blame her for wanting to keep quiet. None of them knew Guts entirely and, for all they knew, he could have potentially killed them all and be on his way. Katara began to see how Aang's anger could be justified to a degree. Dante and Seras didn't seem to be too bad. Although Deadpool was just downright annoying, but didn't seem to be a bad person either in spite of his profession. Katara really grew found of Iroh as he never radiated the murderous aura that most Firebenders did. He was definitely the peace-loving type. She also felt a bit of pity for Zuko. While her trust in him was still in question, she couldn't completely hate him, not after hearing his life story. As the group drew closer to the battlefield, Katara saw a massive crater that seemed to be the size of a small island (exaggeration? maybe). In the center of it, Tenebris and Frankie faced the opposite direction from each other, Frankie with his sword thrust forward and covered in blood. He seemed to hold his stance for a few moments, and everything seemed okay, at least until Frankie finally collapsed. Katara and Ty Lee jumped off of Appa and ran towards him, tears in their eyes and their hearts filled with worry. Deadpool grabbed a medical kit from his duffel bag and ran as well. "Gotta be prepare for anything," Deadpool said to nobody in particular...again, "What do you mean 'nobody?!' I'm talking to you!! I can't believe the writer of this story is making be do medical work! I'm a mercenary not a doctor!" Wade suddenly realized that during his time as a member of the Weapon X program, he was trained not only in the ways of combat but also learned about medical practice, mainly out of personal interest as he still wanted to be the next big superhero. "Oh yeah," Deadpool said as the imaginary light bulb went off in his head, "I remember that! Can't exactly be a hero if I can fix up a civilian! Although normally I'm more into shooting and--!" While the Merc with a Mouth continued on with his rant, Ty Lee tried to position Frankie so his head was on her lap. "Frankie, please don't die!! We need you!!" she pleaded through tear-covered eyes. Just as everybody was about to go to their friend, however, Tenebris' body stirred. Dante grabbed the hilt of his sword with Guts following suit. However, they soon noticed the huge gaping hole where his chest was. The mighty dragon coughed up blood as it struggled to stand. "Now that...was...an incredible...fight," he muttered as he took a couple strained steps forward, "That boy...what was...his name?" "His name is Frankie," Seras said, slightly curios as to why the dragon would want to know. "Frankie huh? Heheheh...interesting lad...I look forward...to fighting him soon...in the next life...--!" With those final words, the mighty Tenebris, the Dragon of Armageddon fell to the ground, his body lifeless. Surprisingly, his body began to crumble and crack until finally it became nothing more than dust and ash that glided along the wind. Dante looked up and saw that the clouds were starting to part to reveal a starry night sky, with a bright full moon to go along with it. "Damn," Dante muttered, "After this shit's done I'm gonna need a vacation." Seras giggled at the comment and then turned toward the others. Deadpool provided whatever was in his medical kit and was able to bandage up Frankie pretty good. However, Seras was more curios about the sword that was with him. "What is that sword?" Sokka asked as he was curious as well, "Is that his?" "I believe so," the vampire replied, "Frankie used it to defeat the beast." "Where can I get an awesome sword like that?!" By this time, Aang had broken free from Deadpool's restraints and ran to the group. When he saw Frankie's condition, however, he stopped in his tracks. Frankie had several bruises on him and was riddled with cuts that Deadpool managed to patch up. What struck his curiosity, however, was his expression. In spite of being unconscious, Frankie had a smile on his face. Not just some exaggerated or shark-like smile, but a small genuine smile of someone who was at peace with themselves. He also felt something was off with his chi. It felt powerful yet at the same time, warm and comforting. It was definitely not the aura of some crazed monster or killer. A small part of him felt a twinge of guilt for the things he had said to the Saiyan. He made a mental note to apologize to Frankie once he woke up. "Well, that was certainly an interesting show." Everyone immediately snapped towards the source of the voice and saw a tall young man with crimson eyes wearing strange garbs. He had a long black ponytail and a grin that caused a chill to run down the young Avatar's spine. The man had the still unconscious Azula in tow and was floating in the air. "Who are you?!" Zuko shouted. "Ah yes, I forgot my manners," the man said, his voice while sounding pleasant hinted at a much darker and more evil than he appeared, "My name is Judar, a pleasure to meet you." As he was about to take a step forward, however, Dante drew his sword and pointed it at Judar, who only gave a surprised, yet amused look. "Not another step," the Devil Hunter said, "Ya think I don't know the shady types when I see 'em?" "Ya noticed too buddy?" Deadpool said as he drew his pistols, "I've been both the good and bad guy in many comics and TV shows to know exactly how a baddie works. The whole 'nice guy' schtick ain't gonna do shit for ya!" For a few seconds, Judar uttered nothing, then he let out an evil chuckle as his head was lowered. He slowly lifted his head and Aang could truly see an evil within the man's red eyes. "Damn," he said, "I was so hoping we would get along. Oh well, can't be helped I guess." Be started to fly off with Azula in tow until Zuko called out. "Running away?! Get back here!!" "Let him go," Guts said, "We need to find someplace to lay low for awhile. I doubt that this battle will have gone unnoticed." "A wise decision," Iroh said. With that, they grabbed Frankie and jumped onto Appa and proceeded to leave. As they took off towards the North Pole, Aang felt a great dread coming off of the man named Judar, and sincerely hoped that their paths would not cross again anytime soon. To be continued... Category:A League Category:Legends of the Multi-Universe Category:Transcripts Category:Rengoku18